The leaves are changing, the temperature is dropping, and we're all too ready to get cozy...
But how do we keep our youngins entertained and burning energy this Fall if they can't gleefully run around outdoors like they were a few months ago at the Fourth of July parade?
Well, it's never too early to start celebrating Halloween! Why not try all sorts of Halloween activities with your kiddos throughout the whole month of October?
We've grouped these Halloween activities into five categories: arts and crafts, printables, baking projects, party games, and outdoor activities. No matter where you are or what you like to do, we can almost guarantee you'll find something on this list to make this Halloween fun and memorable.
Halloween crafts are phenomenal if you need to kill some time indoors, or if you want to involve your kids while you decorate for a Halloween party. The following Halloween craft activities are fun and easy, and will keep kids busy for hours.
No list of Halloween activities for kids would be complete without pumpkins. Of course you carve them into classic Jack o Lanterns, but there are plenty of other ways to use pumpkins for Halloween crafts.
Paint them instead of carving (this is great for little ones), scoop out the seeds, then bake and dye them for Halloween sensory bins, or use them in a Halloween themed counting game to work on math practice.
You could even make this pumpkin volcano for a fun Halloween twist on the classic baking soda and vinegar science experiment.
Bleach pens are a fun, easy way to decorate things like t-shirts, napkins, and tablecloths. They're easy for little ones to grasp with small hands, and they don't make a mess. Cobwebs and ghosts are two great ideas for decorating with bleach pens, but you can create whatever you want!
Make sure to allow plenty of time for the bleach to soak into the fabric, then wash and thoroughly dry your designs before displaying them.
These glasses are easy to make - all you need is black puff paint! Younger kids can decorate plastic cups, while older kids could work on cocktail glasses for your Halloween party. To really make this design pop, fill the glass with a fun, brightly colored drink, like something from this Halloween drink recipe guide, and toss some plastic spiders in with your ice cubes!
A Halloween wreath looks great hanging on your front door and is so much fun for trick or treaters to see! There are so many ways to make them, but we personally love a garlic wreath (to ward off vampires!) or a beautiful, multi-colored Autumn leaf wreath.
If you don't have a lot of time to set up crafts, and you don't want to invest in a lot of supplies for art projects, printables are a quick alternative. Of course, you'll have to find a printer (which...who has one of those anymore?)
When it comes to hilarious Halloween activities, Mad Libs can't be beat. This fun, silly Halloween mad libs PDF will provide hours of entertainment for both you and your kids. Who can come up with the zaniest, craziest story? Play it at home or in the car in between trick-or-treating stops.
This free printable pumpkin maze is a doozy! But don't stop there - check out all the Halloween themed mazes available to download and print. A quick Google search turns up cats, bats, ghosts, spiderwebs and more.
Need a quick and simple way to give your kids lots of costumes this Halloween? Free printable masks! No one has time, energy or finances to make or buy their kid a different costume for every Halloween party or get-together on the calendar.
Printable Halloween masks cost nothing and give your child the ability to decorate their own costume. You can even make matching ones for the whole family.
If you love to bake, Halloween is a great time to do it! Homemade treats are a better, safer, healthier and more fun alternative to candy, and a great way to get your child involved in an activity you love. Consider baking some treats to hand out this year instead of the usual candy corn and mini Snickers bars.
This super simple Halloween cookie recipe provides a base that you can decorate any way you like. The recipe recommends caramel-filled chocolates, Oreo cookies, and malt balls to make spiders, but you can let your imagination run wild with whatever you want!
Powdered sugar icing is a great way to decorate these cookies if you don't have candy around. Check out this easy-breezy recipe.
Cupcakes are a slightly more advanced treat that are a great option to send with your kid to a school party or fall bake sale. With brightly colored buttercream frosting for spooky touch, and decadent black sponge, this recipe will be a hit with kids and grown-ups alike.
Why stop at gingerbread men (or women?) For spooky fun on Halloween you can make gingerbread ghosts, mummies, spiders, monsters, jack o lanterns and more. Decorate with candy corn eyes, powdered sugar icing, or mini candies.
Games make some of the best Halloween activities for kids of all ages. Most Halloween games can be enjoyed by preschoolers all the way through teenagers.
When you're carving up your pumpkins this year, give one an extra big mouth, or just carve a big hole in the top, and use it for a bean bag toss! Just aim the bean bags into the jack o lantern's mouth. You may want to carve up a couple so that more people can play at once.
This is a Halloween themed (and kid friendly!) version of the classic game beer pong. Decorate some ping pong balls to look like eyeballs and have kids take turns bouncing them across a table into a glass or cup. If your eyeball lands in a cup, you win!
Buy a pointy witch's hat from your local costume shop and reinforce it with a coat hanger or stick inside and have kids take turns trying to toss rings over it. You can even incorporate this into a larger obstacle course race alongisde an eyeball relay race or something similar.
The crisp fall air is so inviting, isn't it? Putting together some fun Halloween activities outside is the perfect way to make the most of this time of year.
Nothing says "classic Halloween activities" like a haunted house. This might be a fun one to get the whole neighborhood involved in, as it is a larger undertaking. Decide whose house or yard will host, then each family who attends can be responsible for coming up with a scary room or spooky touch.
At the end of the night, don't forget to all pitch in cleaning up!
Another one of those classic Halloween games, bobbing for apples is fun for kids and adults of all ages. Make sure the apples you use for bobbing wind up getting eaten or used for something (apple pie, anyone?) so they don't go to waste.
Make sure you have plenty of space for this one (and your camera ready to capture the hilarious moments!) Kids (and adults) must wrap their legs with toilet paper, then attempt to race. You decide the rules - is this a three-legged race where two people must bind their legs together, or a solo race where people bind their own legs together? Either way, it's sure to be a hit!
There is no shortage of fun Halloween activities for you and your kids to participate in this year! Whether it's a Halloween craft, a party revolving around Halloween games, or a quiet night in working on a baking project to hand out to trick-or-treaters, you're sure to find something on this list to make this year's Halloween memorable.